One of my goals for this year is to get back into shape by losing 30 pounds and building muscle back up. I did not get off to a good start. The cold winter and late start to Spring really cut into my motivation to exercise and workout. As the days began to get warmer, though, I gradually became more active. However, at this point, I had really gotten away from chasing my goal and had no real set schedule. I was not pushing myself anymore either.

But then my friend Stevie hit me up to see if I wanted to start hitting the gym after work. I said yes immediately, cause having someone to hold you accountable is so clutch. There was no more going straight home after work because there is someone else waiting on me to go to the gym. And we did, that whole first week.

That part that amazes me, is how quickly I got into it. I have free access to a gym through my work, yet the three years I have been here, I can count on one hand (two max) how many times I have taken advantage of that perk. But after that first week, it was like a switch in my head flipped. I did not need to be pushed anymore. I was not talking myself into going to the gym or amping myself up to go. I would just go. I went again that first Saturday solo. There were a couple of times the next two weeks she could not make it and I found myself going solo again. I took a trip to DC and went to the hotel gym as soon as I checked in.

There are various studies of how often you need to do something for it to become a habit, and in this instance, it really only took me five days. And that is because I think we often forget how much we are truly made of and what we can accomplish should we put our minds to it. We only need to give ourselves a chance. We may find it easier than we thought.

Now, I am still nowhere near reaching my goals, but every day it gets closer. I can definitely see my muscles building back up, but I am still waiting for the stomach to shrink some. For once, though, I feel confident that I am not only on the right path but will reach my destination as well. And to think I avoided hopping on the train for so long.

The lyrics for this post’s title came from Childish Gambino’s Difference